Due to launch in late April, just in time for the film, the line of Avengers minimates will feature special exclusives to Toys R Us and Specialty/Comic Book stores respectively. Here’s a brief breakdown of where you can find each one.

Marvel Minimates – The Avengers Movie (Toys “R” Us/toysrus.com)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk
- Hawkeye & Black Widow (exclusive)
- Loki & Nick Fury (exclusive)

Marvel Minimates Wave 45 (Specialty stores/comic shops)
- Captain America & Thor
- Iron Man MK7 & Hulk

So, as you can see, Geoffrey will initially get the lion’s share of the exclusives, being able to sell the entire line. But you can bet that most comic book stores will simply go to TRU and pick them up and then mark them up as collectibles for their clients. Either way, they look rather cool.

Directed by Joss Whedon, The Avengers stars Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson (yum), Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. It’ll be premiering May 4th.

Hat Tip – Action Figure Insider

Big Bad Toy Store has the Dark Knight – Mister Potato Head style. The Dark Knight Spud, which is made under license by PPW in Los Angeles, has Mr. Potato Head putting on the cowl and cape and making his voice sound like a he just swallowed a frog. It comes with cowl and cape, batarang, utility belt, and the trademarked Dark Knight black suit and boots.

No other details are known about the Dark Spud – whether he’ll have a Tumbler or SpudPod, but you can imagine the kitchy play on words with it. We do know that it’s available on Preorder for $17.99 for a June 2012 delivery. And if you pony up another $2, you can get a “collector’s grade” edition. Whatever that means. Sounds like an opportunity to just get another few bucks from you for a special box worth a quarter.

I rather like these special Spuds, but I just wish they’d come up with just the pieces to add to it as the last thing I need is a closet full of potatohead torsos. Coruse, I remember when you used REAL potatoes for dressing up! Good times.

Hat Tip – TNI

Toy Soldiers have been around for years – why promote war when we can let kids have positive toys that promote action sports instead?

Toy Boarders come in 8 different poses and are designed with moves that can be seen done by any boarder busting a move around town, so each rider is hand molded with attention to detail and style. And the best thing about them is, they turn anything into a skateboard park and can go with a kid anywhere.

Frankly, I don’t think Army men promote violence as much as they promote defense, rescuing, security, and a host of other things that the military does as a mission besides killing people and breaking things. But that’s just a matter of opinion. The fact is that AJs Toy Boarders are still royally cool and promote the great summertime sport of skate boarding and action sports. And that’s a good thing.

Tell you what, AJ should send a case to Shawn White and get his endorsement, or maybe get the XGames to sign on and then they’d go stratospheric! Cost for a 24 pack is about $5. That’s a deal!

Now like we said, there are SPOILERS about here, so if you’re a hard core Spidey fan and are looking forward to the reboot then you better stop reading right now. Frankly, I didn’t see a need to reboot the universe. I thought that the Toby McGuire portrayal was fine and even the lesser sequels were an enjoyable 2 hours for munching popcorn. But reboots are the new sequel and as such, they’re all the rage, no matter how soon a film has been out (witness The Hulk which has been rebooted three times in 10 years). Anyway, here you go ….

Not only to the sets show that Spidey’s villain du jour is Lizard Man, but also shows the fate of Peter Parker’s main squeeze Gwen Stacey …

“One action set-piece towards the end of the film sees the Lizard transform a whole Swat team into scaly mutants that look like him. Then there’s a huge battle. Some of the scene is based upon the famous issue of the comic in which Gwen Stacy died.”

Additionally , there are sets which include scenes that recreate movie plot points like Lizard’s Sewer Lab scene and Spidey’s tete a tete with Lizard in a bridge battle scene. So in the end, there’s plenty of fun to be had here, and if you’re both a Spiderman and a MegaBloks fan, you may find that the film reruns your imagination when you go see it.

Toy Stores should be getting stock to cover the following toy lines starting this week …. a re-release of Darth Maul-style double-sided lightsaber from Star Wars, Star Wars Return of the Jedi action figures including Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian (this one is really interesting because it’s based on a deleted sandstorm scene). Additionally, Hasbro is releasing a new action figure line called Star Wars Movie Heroes which will include firing projectiles, ziplines, slashing action, and even light-up lightsabers. Star Wars Battle Pods will be able to Spin, Launch, or Roll in battle, with over 100 Star Wars fighter pods figures from all six Star Wars films and The Clone Wars to collect. There will also be “Discover the Force” figures, a set of 12 different characters in multi-packs with two creature/vehicles in special 3D packaging and including a pair of 3D glasses just in time for the release of Star Wars in 3D.

But Star Wars isn’t the only toy line coming back in 2012, there’s also Marvel Universe action figures including the rebooted design for Spiderman, Captain America’s World War II costume with shield, and also other members of the Avengers including Iron Man, Black Widow and the Hawk.

Hat Tip – Rebel Scum

In 1920, nearly 50 years before I was born, the top toys for Christmas were the Teddy Bear, Erector Set, and Lionel Trains. Noteworthy facts about each, the Teddy Bear was named after former President Teddy Roosevelt – who refused to shoot a black bear while on a hunt. and Lionel Trains is now owned by musician Neil Young.

Then, in my era, the hot toys were Rock’em Sock’em Robots, Barbie, GI Joe, and the introduction of a little juggernaut known as Star Wars action figures. It also marked the beginning of what would soon come to dominate the toy world, as video games like PONG were the obsession of every kid willing to forsake outdoor play for watching a little white dot bounce back and forth across the screen.

By the 1990s and 00s, video games were well entrenched as kids have wanted Game Boys, Playstations, Nintendos and XBoxes. Yeah sure, kids have wanted action figures like Power Rangers and Buzz Lightyear, LEGOs and Transformer Dolls (and remember POGs?), but it’s clear that kids trends have gone from imaginative play and building things, to virtually blowing stuff up while networked with other kids all around the world. For a peak into the evolution, check out the timeline here.

The Marines have been collecting Toys for Tots since 1947. Semper Fi!

And it’s grown far beyond and extra curricular activity for off duty Marines. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved making the annual Toys for Tots drive an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. Over the last 62 years, the US Marine Corps Reserve have distributed over 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children and the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation has added to the toy collections by purchasing nearly a half billion dollars in toys to insure that no child gets left behind at Christmas.

And this year, as with any year, the campaign needs your help. You know the mission – pick up an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl and look for one of those dashing jarheads sitting next to a collection box near the entrance to the store. Or, you can Swing by http://www.toysfortots.org/ to make a cash donation to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. While at the site, you can find more information on a toy collecting center in your area.

Semper Fi and Merry Christmas!

From the 1950s onwards girls were encouraged to hone their zombie slaughtering skills in preparation for the inevitable apocalypse. Though young ladies dispose of the undead with ease today, toys such as Mattel’s 1962 ‘Zombie Attack Barbie’ were instrumental in helping to habituate girls to a new social norm where zombie disposal would become a very necessary life skill.

Now a collectors item ‘Zombie Attack Barbie’ played a salient role in ensuring the survival of countless young girls who grew up ready and willing to slaughter the zombie menace. This much loved toy still holds fond memories for so many of the lovely ladies from our Zombie Clearance Squads today.

Now I’m pretty safe in assuming this is an online joke, but Zombies are in now as the undead flavor of the month. And with popular TV Shows like the Walking Dead, who doesn’t want to have a little imaginary zombie play at home? Especially when you can take out your 50 year old boyfriend KEN, who apparently recently turned!

And besides … it’s now with Hand Grenades!

Hat Tip – Nerd Approved

2012 LEGO NINJAGO Sets

* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9440: White ninja snake-shrine with lime-green cobras.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9441: A red Ninja motorcycle with Minifigure
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9442: Blue snake shrine with jet
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9443: Green Cobra snake helicopter with red ninja and black Ninja minifigures. Watch out for the spitting snakes
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9444: Black and yellow 4-wheel vehicle. Blue Ninja Snake minifigs.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9445: Green 4-wheel snake with white ninja minfig on what looks like a speeder from Star Wars.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9446: Red and black ninja ship, with Sensei Wu Minifig, a pair of Keno ninja minifigs in kendo armor, and blue snake minifigs.

* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9558: red ninja with dark-gray kendo helmet and samurai armor
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9561: Kai ZX – red ninja uniform, gold shoulder armor, new red ninja-hood
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9562: Lasha – green snake master with green cobra headgear
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9563: Kendo Zane – white ninja, dark-gray kendo helmet
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9564: Snappa – White Snake Master with snake-head attachment.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9566: Red Samurai – red uniform, dark gray samurai helmet with face-mask.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9567: Fang-Suei Snake Master – white with red snake head.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9579: Two set with black ninja shoulder armor & Gray Snake master with Cobra headgear

* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9551: Kendo Cole – Black ninja with weapons and cards.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9552: Lloyd Gamadon – Son of Lord Garmadon and new leader of evil Spinjitsu, weapons and cards.
* LEGO NINJAGO Set #9553: Jay-ZX – Blue ninja with weapons and cards.

Hat Tip – Brick Blogger